YES Conferences

Motivation Conference – Year 9

The Motivation Conferences are for students in Year 9 and their aim is to motivate them into thinking about themselves, their aspirations and what they can achieve. 40 students from two schools spend the day at the Marriott Hotel, engaged in a range of activities designed to give the students a greater awareness of themselves and enable them to set achievable targets. They are seated on tables of 5 that are mixed gender and a mix of the two attending schools. Each table has two facilitators who support and guide them through the activities.

The day starts with a team building exercise which identifies their strengths and weaknesses when working with others. The range of activities that follow help the students to explore their skills and attributes in preparation for choosing a pathway to employment. During the day the students enjoy lunch in the Hotel’s restaurant and the day concludes with a Certificate of Attendance being presented to each student by the Mayor local to their school.

World of Work (WOW) Conference – Year 10

This follows a similar allocation of students to tables, again with two Facilitators on each table. Schools are encouraged to send the same cohort of students to the WOW conference that attended the Motivation conference. In this way we can support their progression. The day begins with a team building exercise which again identifies their strengths and weaknesses when having to work with others.

Activities during the morning continue to develop the students’ transferable skills and introduce them to the many and varied opportunities there are in the world of work. YES is fortunate to have a group of volunteers from a variety of businesses and professions who give of their time to attend the Conference, in order to share their expertise and experience in their field of work.

Prior to the Conference the students are asked to identify a career / careers they are interested in. After lunch they have the opportunity to talk in depth to the representatives from the Businesses. During this session they are given advice, realistic information and direction for the pathway for their chosen career.

The day concludes with a Certificate of Attendance being presented to each student by the Mayor local to their school.

What is a Facilitator

A Facilitator’s role is key to the success of our Conferences. They may be members of our Committee, but we have many other volunteers, known to our Partnership, who are willing to support the day.

The Facilitators oversee the engagement of students during the Conference activities and motivate and encourage their involvement in the day. They aim to build working relationships with the young people recognising their strengths and aiming to build their confidence.

There are always two Facilitators to each table of five students. ensuring they can give time and attention to each young person. Many interesting and rewarding conversations take place between student and Facilitator during the day. We have suggested some guidelines for our Facilitators ,in order that they can more comprehensively appreciate the requirements of the role.

Our Facilitators see their involvement as a CSR – a Corporate Social Responsibility opportunity. Such is the enjoyment and satisfaction they gain from the day many of our Facilitators are “regulars”.

If you are interested in participating at our Conferences in this role please contact us and read our Guidelines HERE.